Distance
by TheFireInHerEyes
Summary: Dwalin Fundin has seen and been through a lot. But now that the dust is settling, he is ready to meet a woman, his One. He is frustrated by the lack of women he meets and thinks he simply isn't attractive or young enough to meet a good woman, despite Dís and Thorin telling him otherwise. Maybe all it takes is a meddling wizard an a single mother to change a stubborn dwarfs life...
1. chapter 1

Dwalin Fundin was a hardened warrior who lost his home to a dragon, fought Orcs in Moria, and then went on a quest to slay a dragon and reclaim said lost home.

Through it all, and all the people he met, he still hadn't met his One. Neither had the king and only one prince had, but it still left a bitter seed inside him.

Of all the people, and different races, he hadn't met a woman who caught his eye and wanted to be with him. The hardened warrior scared more women off than he attracted, darrowdams included.

"It'll happen my friend. Don't get discouraged. You'll be a father and husband yet." An encouraging clap on the back from Thorin, a smile from Dís, and a wink from the irritating and annoying Prince Fili is what he received, but it didn't do anything to temper his mood.

"You'll find yer One, Dwalin. Just give it time." Time. How much time did the dwarf really have? He was a hardened warrior with a temper and he was no longer a young lad. Any woman who's eye he caught would either pity him or end up fawning over the young blonde prince.

"Time." Dwalin scoffed. Time had given him nothing so far.


	2. Chapter 2

Sarya held her son tightly in her arms and rocked him back and forth. She hummed softly, stopping only to press a kiss to his forehead, and the resumed humming.

"He's sleeping." She addressed the wizard in front of her with a strong facade, even though she herself was terrified.

"It's time to go. If we do not leave now, we will not have a chance again." Sarya stood on shaky legs, careful to not jostle her son.

"I hardly think this is a good idea, Gandalf. They will not take me in, and even if they do, what will happen when that batard comes searching for me?" As she felt her son stirring, she began hushing him and resumed her rocking.

"They will protect you because I have asked. And if he comes searching for you, then you move on." Sarya blew the light wisps of hair out of her face and took slow deep breaths.

"I do not want to run forever. What kind of life would I be giving my son?" Sarya felt a bitter pill rise in her throat. How in Valar's name was it fair to her? Why did she have to be the one to suffer?

She loved her little boy to death, and would die for him over and over, but she wanted a home. She wanted to settle down. She wanted to be settled.

"You are giving him the best life you can. You are doing your best, my dear." Her throat felt right as tears rose to her eyes, and she had to swallow a few times to avoid a cry from leaving her lips.

"We need to go. We have to leave now." She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. She would be leaving again. She would be dropping everything and leaving in hopes to avoid the bastard.

"We will travel by eagle. It is the fastest way. The sooner you get into your new home the better." The prospect of living with dwarves, while having a half-elven child, scared her. It was no secret that the Dwarves were not on the best terms with elves, even after the reclaiming of Erebor.

"He's half elf, Gandalf. What if..." Her breath got caught in her throat and she choked back a fresh wave of tears.

"He may be half elf, but there is much more in him than that. You have dwarf on your side as well as man and hobbit. He may pass for a hobbit better than an elf." Sarya's bloodline was that a pauper. She had no pure blood in her neither did her mother or her grandmother.

"That bastard..." Gandalf placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a comforting squeeze.

"He was punished." Sarya scoffed.

"And now he seeks retribution." A sqwuak from the toddler in her arms made Sarya silent. She hushed him once again.

"He will not find you." She had no other option. She had to believed Gandalf for both her and her sons life.

"Let us leave, now."

* * *

Thorin Oakenshield, King under the mountain, stood before the Dwarves of his company, as well as Kili's One, Tauriel. He called them here to address them and to let them know that they would have a refugee seeking shelter in their city. For how long, he wasn't sure.

"Gandalf is bringing an asylum seeker to Erebor. She will be staying with for an unknown amount of time. We are to treat her with the utmost respect. I want her to feel safe and welcome here." Thorin hadn't know the story behind the woman or why she was coming, but he would make it his priority to make her comfortable, as a favour to Gandalf.

"Why is she seeking asylum, Thorin? And why here?" He hadnt known, and he didn't wish to ask until Gandalf and the woman had arrived.

"I do not know. And I will not ask until they have arrived safely. This is a favour to Gandalf." His blue eyes looked over the company of Dwarves, and the elf. They didn't say much, nor did they want to argue. They trusted him, and if Thorin thought it was a good idea, they would go along with his decisions.

"Tauriel, may I ask that when she arrives you help her get adjusted?" Thorin wasn't all too pleased that Kili had found his One in an elf, but she had helped them greatly in the battle of the five armies. And if Kili had chosen his One, Thorin would accept her as family.

"Yes of course." His eyes glanced over Kili. He was staring at his One with love and adoration.

"Thank you." Thorin turned his head as he greeted a soldier behind him.

"They're here."

* * *

Sarya felt like a mess. Her dress was tattered along the bottom of the skirt and was thin. It was old and worn but she had little else. Sarya had very little to her name, mostly the clothes on her back, and her beautiful toddler in her arms.

"I don't feel worthy of being here, Gandalf." As the pair stood in front of the gates of Erebor, Sarya felt even more pitiful.

Erebor, even just the gates, looked breathtaking and beautiful. The stone had a green tint to it, and it looked like it shone as an emerald would.

"Gandalf!" The grey wizard stepped forward and smiled fondly at the pair of Dwarves walking towards them. Sarya stayed back, still taken with the beautiful gates before her.

"Bofur! Fili! Nice to see you again!" As the wind around them picked up, she pulled her son closer to her chest. She shielded him from the wind as much as possible.

"Thank you taking her in. It's quite a sensitive matter. I'll discuss it with you and Thorin when we have a moment." She heard her name being called and slowly, she approached the towering city walls and the new Dwarves.

"This is Sarya. This is the woman that needs shelter." As the pair of eyes looked her over, she avoided their gaze. She swallowed her saliva and bit her lip. She was scared of being here and scared of being found.

"Nice to meet you lassie." Their eyes quickly moved from her to the bundle in her arms.

"This is her son, Sídhion." Sídhion. It meant peace. Her little, perfect boy, was her peace.

"Nice to meet the lad too." Sarya shivered as the wind whipped around them, blowing her fair locks into her face. She held her son up with one hand, and with the other, she moved her hair out of her face.

"Come inside. You must be cold." The blond dwarf's hand reached out her shoulder to steer her towards the city. Sarya knew that he meant to harm, but even as he touched her shoulder, she winced and shrunk her frame.

"Yes. Let's get inside." Step by step, Sarya felt her stomach clench. Was this her only option? How would they feel about her half-elf son? And what would happen when they found out why she was on the run?

They passed through the gates and into the city. While she was happy to be out of the wind, the stares she received, didn't help her nerves.

"Thorin is waiting for you." She followed the three men up a few stairs and around a few corners until they arrived at a large dining hall.

Inside were 11 additionall Dwarves as well as an eleven female. At the sight of the female elf, Sarya froze. Her eyes widened and she took a step back towards the entrance. She felt her body starting to shake. Bile started to rise in her throat as images flooded her brain.

"Sarya, she is nothing like the one that did this. She will not hurt you." Still, she couldn't stop the memories of chains digging into her skin. She couldn't stop the sounds of her screaming and pleading to be let go, from invading her mind.

"Get away from me! Stay away from me! Dorth- awaui! Ceri- ú- tul- nev nin!" Her heart was racing in her chest. Images and memories flooded her mind. Every bad thing that had happened to her was hitting her at once.

"Sarya!" She stepped back as the elf approached. Her hands were up in a symbol of peace, but Sarya didn't trust her.

"Sídh. Im foeg cin baw harm." Still as she approached, Sarya backed up until she hit a wall.

"Please! Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry!" She cried out and angled her body away from Tauriel, shielding her son.

"Don't hurt me!"


	3. Chapter 3

Sarya was quickly shown her room by a dwarf maid. She was relieved to be able to put her beautiful little boy to bed, but mostly she was relieved to be away from the elf.

Whether the elf was going to hurt her, or not, Sarya couldn't stop the influx of painful and horribly memories that occurred at the hands of an elf. She couldn't help it.

"Sarya, I wanted to make sure you were settled." Gandalf's voice reached her ears as she wandered about the large room, placing the few things she brought, down.

"I-I am sorry, Gandalf. I did not mean to react that way with the she-elf. I have embarrassed myself and you as well. As well as probably insulting the very people who are keeping me safe." An apology fell from her lips, and while it was very sincere, she couldn't help but feel defensive.

She was hurt by an elf, tortured and scarred. If an elf were in her presence, no matter how gentle or sincere they're nature may be, she would be frightened. And more than that, she would fight to protect her son.

"I will explain what had happened. I will not go into details, as it is your business to tell, but it will help them understand why you reacted that way. And please, Tauriel is nothing like them. She is a gentle and kind soul and she wishes to help you." Sarya didn't think that she-elves could be as ruthless as their male counterparts, but the situation she was in, was started by a she-elf. That and jealousy.

"Thank you, Gandalf. Again, I am sorry." As her voice softened, she glanced at her son.

He was sleeping peacefully and quietly. He had not a care in the world and he knew nothing of the danger they were in. He had no knowledge of who his father was or why he wasn't around. Sarya would never tell him either. As long as she could help it, he would not know how he came to be.

"Rest well, my dear. Tomorrow I will introduce you to the dwarves. And don't worry. As long as you are here, you are safe. They are noble and honourable. They will protect you." Somehow the thought of being protected, seemed like a fleeting and airy promise to her. If he found her before, he would find her again.

After all, she was a game to him. She was just something he liked to play with. And like a bully in the sandbox, he didn't like his toys being taken.

* * *

Dwalin stood beside his cousin, who was more like a brother. They were waiting for Gandalf to return from checking on the woman and their son, to explain just what in the hell had happened with Kili's she-elf.

To say that she had a bad reaction to the elf, had been an understatement. Dwalin would never and could never speak elf, but he could clearly pick up her body language and tone, and knew that she spoke in less than kind words. Clearly the woman was agitated by the elf, and they would like to know why.

"What did she say to you?" Kili rubbed the back of his elf's hand with his own, comforting her. The she-elf, Tauriel, sat beside him, a stricken look on her face.

"She told me not to come near her. She said she was sorry. She told me to leave her alone." Dwalin didn't agree with the she-elf being here. They had been burned once before by the arrogant face, but she was Kili's One. He may not like it, but he would have to put up with it.

"She has bad memories with elves. You cannot blame yourself. She is scarred by them. She may not mean to take it out on you but she will." As Gandalf approached, the company of 13 dwarves, and the she-elf, as well as Bilbo, gave their undivided attention to the wizard.

"I promised I would spare details unless she wished to speak them herself. But Sarya has had quite the nasty experience with elves. She-elf included. It is this interaction that gave her scars, as well as gave her a son. She is on the run from an elf due to her past with said elf." Dwalin's jaw clenched.

Women, no matter what race, elves included, should be treated with respect. They needed to be protected and cared for. And from what Gandalf was saying, and from his own thoughts and observations, the woman was not cared for. If he had to take his guess, the woman was beaten and used. By his thoughts, it would appear that she was used more than once and then punished after, or if she fought.

"Gandalf what are you saying?" The hobbit look horrified, as did the dwarves amongst him.

"I am saying, Bilbo, that even elves have a dark side to them. Even elves are capable of jeslousy, envy and rage. Sarah is a victim to an elf, and she-elf's dark lust for pain. And that, Tauriel, is why she doesn't want you to come near her." Dwalin's hands clenched as rage filled him.

It wasn't enough for them to hurt her, and use her, but for them to torture the poor woman. It made his blood boil and his hate for elves fester, present company excluded.

"She is on a road to healing from this, and I urge you to use caution. You are not her enemies but she is wary. And I once again thank you taking her in and keeping her safe. I wish I could stay longer, but there is a matter in Rivendell to which I must attend." As Gandalf said his last goodbyes, Dwalin turned to Thorin, as the company began to talk amongst themselves.

"The kind of elf that would commit these actions is scum." His voice dropped with acid and irritation. There were not many women in their culture, and he was raised to treasure and care for them, to treat them as if they were queens. Each and every one.

"It doesn't take much to piece together what they must've done." His eyes wandered to the she-elfs. A look of horror had crossed her face as Gandalf spoke.

She hadn't believed that someone, and elf, could commit such atrocities. But as Gandalf spoke in riddles, and leaving much to the imagination, she realized that they could. Any man, woman or child, was capable of evil. It couldn't escape anyone, no matter how noble they thought they may be.

"I've always disliked elves. Even more now that I have heard this." Again, Tauriel excluded.

"Oín, I want you to take a female healer and go and check in her and her son. Give her any medical assistance she may need. Dwalin, Fili, Kili and Gloín, I want you to make sure that anyone approaching the gates, anyone at all, is either someone we do trade with, or someone we know. If they are not known, and we do not do trade with them, they will speak to me first. This woman is here under our care, and she will be treated as if she is one of us. We will protect her as Gandalf has requested." Dwalin nodded in agreement with Thorin.

"Aye. We will not let anyone harm the lass."

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

Sarya brushed the hair out of her sons eyes and placed a gentle kiss to his forehead. While he was peacefully sleeping, Sarya was wide awake and restless.

She had tried to draw, on what little paper she had or could afford, but came up blank. Then, when drawing didn't work, she tried to read from her sons favoruite fairytale book. To no avail, she still couldn't sleep.

With a sigh, Sarya left her sons side and wandered out of the room she they were in and started walking down the long hall. She had no idea where she was going, or what she was going to do, but a walk would seem peaceful.

If nothing else it would help to take her mind off of what a shit show her life was in the last 5 years of her life. It would distract her from her, seemingly impossible, task of raising a son on her own. A son, nonetheless, who wanted to tussle with other children and learn to fight. She had no idea how to fight on her own, let alone teach her son.

" _Please naneth? Please teach me?"_ His beautiful green eyes pleading with her, over and over. And all she could say was no, because she knew that even if she wanted to say yes, she couldn't.

"Lady Sarya? Are you alright?" One of the dwarves she had first met, Bofur, was standing in front of her, a frown on his face.

"I'm sorry. I was distracted." She moved the hair that was in her face behind her ear and sighed softly.

"I was trying to call ye lassie. Yer headed for a staircase and ya want to be paying attention to those." She nodded and thanked Bofur with a small smile.

"Yes. Thank you." She had no doubt in her mind that Gandalf had told them about her situation. She could see it in his eyes. Pity and sadness. For her and her son.

"Can I walk ya back lass? Don't want ya to hurt yerself on any staircases." She wasn't ready to go back to her room yet. She wasn't nearly as exhausted as she wished she would be.

And even if she was, she was so anxious some nights that she found it hard to sleep, even if she was safe.

"No thank you, Bofur. I'm going to keep going. I can't sleep." As she walked past him, she was ever aware of his eyes on her back, watching her.

"Goodnigh' lass." Sarya gave Bofur a small nod and continued down the stairs she almost fell down, and turned down the hall.

Her feet padded softly against the slightly green, smooth stone. The cool air felt good against her flushed skin, providing a little relief from the sickly warmth she felt.

She couldn't help but feel sick, even though she knew she was safe here. In her mind, she could be guarded by an entire army, and still be looking over her shoulder. It was habit and while she desperately wanted the feeling to go away, she doubted it would.

Sarya sighed and closed her eyes and let her mind wander to a place where she wasn't threatened by what was in her past. She let her mind wander to a place where she could have her son, and her son could have a father. She wandered to a place where a man treated her like she was precious and irreplaceable.

A place where her son was treated as if it was the mans own son. She wandered to a place where he would kiss her and her son, welcoming them home after a day working. And on special days, they would relax and spend time together.

But that was just a dream, and when Sarya opened her eyes and looked around her, she was not in her dream world. She was in Erebor, and she was not perfect or wife material. She was damaged and had more scars than she could have ever wished for.

* * *

Dwalin had walked down the hall from his room to the main corridor, before running into a small child. He frowned and looked down at the little mass spread out on the floor and narrowed his eyes.

That mass of flesh on the floor was the woman's son. The boy looked up at Dwalin with weepy eyes and as soon as he was on his feet, the boy threw himself at Dwalin's legs.

"I can't find my naneth! I need to find her and I can't!" Dwalin looked down at the boy, unsure what to do with a weepy little boy.

He looked around, flustered, for anyone who could help him. He didn't have to deal with kids since Fili and Kili grew up and he was fiercely out of touch.

"I-I don't know where my nanenth is!" As the boy howled into his legs, Dwalin continued to look around, finally finding Kili and his she-elf.

With a quick grab of his tunic, Dwalin drug Kili over to the boy and grunted.

"What's wrong Dwalin? Can't handle a few tears from an infant?" Dwalin shot the prince a look that could kill and motioned for him to help.

"He can't find his naneth. I don' understand the boy." Dwalin watched carefully as Tauriel bent down and spoke softly to the boy in elvish.

"He says he can't find his mother. She left in the night and told him to go back to sleep but she didn't return." Dwalin gently pushed the lad off his legs and crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"Does it happen often? Does your naneth leave often?" The boy, still weepy, wiped his eyes and nose on his shirt.

"My naneth doesn't sleep well. She worries about being taken again and she doesn't sleep much. She tries to keep busy and wear herself out so she sleeps, but sometimes it takes a while." Dwalin glanced at Kili and Tauriel and then the boy.

"Sídhion? Right? Come with me. I want to show you something while prince Kili and master Dwalin find your mother." Tauriel picked the boy up and gave Dwalin and Kili a nod before leaving the corridor.

"Never knew you to be so horrible with children mister Dwalin. Especially the child of your One." Kili winked at Dwalin and walked ahead before the Warrior could throttle the prince.

"She's not my One." Truth was that Dwalin wasn't sure whether she was or not. Was he not admitting she was while feeling a connection, or was she simply not his One?

"Don't believe you." Dwalin ignored the prince and focused on finding the lass. The sooner they found the lass the less time he'd have to listen to the prince talk about Dwalin and his One.

* * *

Thanks for reading! So glad you guys are reading this story! So I'm going to try something new and try having auctions (I think) for a role for Thorin's one. So send me a PM if you'd like with a character for him. Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5

Sarya got lost a few times while wandering the halls, all in search of the library. She knew that there, in the large library, she would have privacy and a chance to think, while also being safe.

'The further I am in the city, the harder it will be for him to find me.' Still, Sarya looked over her shoulder. She wouldn't put it past the bastard that hurt her to be able to find her again, without being caught.

"Ya lost lass?" She past few dwarves, most of them giving her odd looks and some glares. She shrugged off their looks, glares and chatter. She was here for her and her sons safety, nothing more and nothing less.

"Library...library..." Sarya kept her eyes peeled for any signs of what could be a library, and had almost given up when she past a hallway.

She stopped and backed up. She glanced down the hallway and smiled as she saw two large double doors at the end. She pulled her small shawl Closer around her shoulders and walked towards the library.

As she approached the double doors, Sarya stopped and looked over her shoulder once more. The halls of Erebor were lit as well as they could be, considering it was a city in the mountain and it was late at night.

"He's not here. You're fine Sarya. You are fine." She turned back to face the doors and placed her hand on one of the handles and pushed it open.

She stepped inside and closed the door behind her, eyes scanning the multiple bookshelves that seemed to stretch on for ages.

Sarya bit her bottom lip gently as she stared wide eyed at the books and shelves before her. After a few moments of staring at the shelves before her, Sarya grinned and walked towards the shelves.

She placed her hand on the spines of the books before her, and ran her fingers over the lettering on the spines. She couldn't wait to crack a few of these books open, the ones she could read anyway.

"This is amazing." She stepped away from the shelf and spun in a circle, slowly. Her eyes wandered from shelf to shelf and book to book.

She couldn't believe a library this size would exist in a dwarfish city. Sarya knew very little about dwarves, and from what she did know, she didn't think reading would be this important to them.

"Where to start..?" Sarya closed her eyes and reached out, her touching a thick book with raised lettering on the spine. She opened her eyes and pulled the book out, glancing over the lettering on the front.

"It's in...their language." Sarya placed it back and reached for another.

"This one I can read." She tucked it under her arm and walked down the row of books, and kept walking, until she found a desk tucked into the back.

Sarya set the book down and then herself. She got situated in the desk chair and cracked open the book, having just enough light from behind her.

"This will be my escape." She muttered to herself as she bent her head, reading the first word on the page.

* * *

With each hour that passed while trying to find the woman, Dwalin got more and more irate. He couldn't find this damned woman and he had the young prince yammering in his ear the whole time about his 'One'.

"I just think that you would be more irate, Mr. Dwalin. She is your One and she is lost in our city. Could be weeks before he find her." He could hear the smirk in his voice and it took all his effort to not deck the prince.

"She isn't my One." Not that the raven haired prince believed him.

"When I first met Tauriel, I didn't think so either. But it only took a moment for the connection to be made. It is instantaneous." Dwalin really wanted to throttle the young prince.

If it wasn't for his fear over Lady Dis' reaction, he almost would've. It wasn't that he didn't find the young prince pleasant, because after the hell they'd been through, he was rather fond of the young prince. Plus he was family.

Dwalin was just rather frustrated by his infatuation with the idea that the woman, the lost woman, was his One. And by extension, the woman's son, would be his son. In a certain way, anyway.

"'M telling ya one more time and that's it. She's not ma One." Dwalin spoke with a harsh and gravelly tone, his patience with the prince wearing thin.

"So you don't think she's beautiful? Or endearing?" Dwalin clenched his hands into tight fists by his side. He felt his jaw clench as he fought the building irritation and anger back.

"Because she is beautiful. Scarred, but beautiful." Dwalin tried his damnedest not to think of the lass in question. But with each yammer from Kili, he found it harder and harder.

Eventually, he felt a weak moment and pictured the woman in his mind. Yes, she was beautiful with her long dark hair and large, forest green eyes. She had a small button nose and pouty lips. And her naturally curvaceous body was on par with dwarven women.

"Aye. I'll give ya that." Dwalin muttered and turned down the hall, ignoring the laughter of the prince behind him.

As he walked down the hall, his eyes narrowed at the sight of the library doors slightly ajar. Dwalin stopped walking and grabbed Kili's tunic, pulling him beside him.

"Think she's in the library." He let go of Kili's tunic and made his way towards the double doors. He placed on hand on the door that was ajar and pushed it open effortlessly.

"Think I'll leave ya to it. Goodnight mister Dwalin." At the sound of Kili's receding footsteps, Dwalin rolled his eyes.

He stood near the entrance of the library and looked around the area closest to him. He couldn't see the woman anywhere, but that didn't mean she wasn't here.

Dwalin crossed his large tattooed arms over his chest and wandered to the back of the library, where a few desks were. As he got closer to the back, he could the soft light from a few lanterns emitting a glow on a desk and a woman.

"Bloody woman. Make me search the whole city for her." Dwalin approached her and cautiously lifted her from the chair and the desk. He wrapped his one arm around her back and the other under his knees.

After he stepped away from the desk, he could feel her shifting in his arms, inching closer to him and his heat.

* * *

Sorry for the long wait! Here's a new chapter! Hope you like it! And if you would like to be written in as a character for Thorin, please send me a private message with details! Thanks!

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